Nixon Unveils Voter Access Platform

Gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon on Wednesday unveiled a package of provisions meant to expand access to the ballot box for voters in New York, a move she said that would update New York’s election laws that have fallen behind other states in the country.

“New York needs a Governor who is committed to ending voter suppression, and Governor Cuomo has not been up to the task,” said Cynthia Nixon. “The reality is that women, people of color, young people, and low-income New Yorkers who make up the base of the Democratic Party are the most disenfranchised under our current system, and we need to ensure that their voices are heard in our democracy.”

Many of the proposals, however, are ones that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has supported, including early voting.

Nixon also wants to create a system of same-day registration, automatic voter registration and consolidating the state and federal primaries into a single day of voting.

And Nixon would back a proposal that would make it law for those who are on parole or will be paroled in the future to be automatically allowed to vote without gubernatorial intervention.

Earlier this year, Cuomo signed an executive order granting voting rights to people who are on parole, based on a review by a special prosecutor.

Cuomo has largely backed expanding voter access measures and introduced a constitutional amendment proposal for same-day registration, but the bills have largely stalled in the state Senate.